1. Field of the Related Art
The present disclosure relates to pacifiers, and more particularly, but not exclusively, to a pacifier having breath and saliva collection, analysis, storage, and output capabilities for providing at least nutritional information of a user, preferably continuously and in real-time.
2. Description of the Related Art
The subject matter discussed in the background section should not be assumed to be prior art merely as a result of its mention in the background section. Similarly, a problem mentioned in the background section or associated with the subject matter of the background section should not be assumed to have been previously recognized in the prior art. The subject matter in the background section merely represents different approaches, which in and of themselves may also be inventions. Therefore, unless otherwise indicated herein, what is described in this section is not prior art to the description and claims in this application and is not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Infant pacifiers are known and available. Common among infant pacifiers are elements including a nipple on which an infant may suck, a base upon which the nipple is attached to prevent the infant from choking or otherwise ingesting the nipple, and often times a handle or similar structure to allow the infant or an adult to grip and place the pacifier.
Pacifiers have been used by parents to calm and satisfy infants between meals, thus freeing them to perform the many other necessary tasks in the caring for the infant. Pacifiers are also used to calm infants when they are stressed or just to keep them occupied between meals. However, it is difficult to predict when an infant/child needs nourishment (e.g., is hungry or thirsty) and it is difficult to determine whether an infant/child has received the appropriate amounts of nourishment. Thus, parents are left in limbo when an infant/child cries and resort to guessing what the infant/child requires with regard to nourishment. Additionally, after feeding has taken place, the parents are not aware of whether the infant/child has received the appropriate amounts of nutrients required for proper growth (e.g., to prevent overfeeding or underfeeding).
Therefore, it is clear that substantial room exists for affecting an advancement in the pacifier art, which overcomes these shortcomings in a practical and efficient manner.